photography

I have a very difficult time posting images from weddings because there are so many images to choose from – and I am not the best person at whittling those images down. So I have been remiss in posting the last few weddings we have shot. Thankfully Matt will be helping me choose some images over the next few weeks! In the mean time, I leave you with a sneak peak from the wedding we were at this past Saturday. Chantal and Tim were one of the most in love couples we have had the pleasure of working with, and Matt and I had to laugh when they ended the night with an impromptu foray into the La Playa pool. Enjoy.

The couple:

Jackie

Impromptu Jump into La Playa Pool:

And the foray into the hot tub:

It was so full that water was running out the sides!

For my photographer friends wondering how we captured these shots at night: Matt and I used our Canon 5Ds at their highest ISO, with wide-angle lenses at their widest apertures. Because the ambient light wasn’t enough to capture Chantal jumping into the water, we added some video light by placing the light on a monopod and aiming it at her. We didn’t want to use flash because the color temperature of the flash wouldn’t match the ambient light (we do have gels, but that’s not an ideal solution), and we wanted to capture the atmosphere. Special thanks goes to Matt, who not only held the light, but kept shooting.

Jenny & Carlos were married three months ago, but we had the pleasure of taking them out for pictures last night. We had such a blast and are thankful to the Bellasera for being so accommodating! Here is one shot that I had to post immediately.

I went to high school with Sebastian and was delighted to see him and Jonathan 9 years later at our weekly Ultimate Frisbee pickup games. So I was extra delighted when Sebastian and his fiance, Kelly, chose me to photograph their wedding. Their wedding was absolutely spectacular. They were married at the Amory Chapel on Boca Grande and the reception was at a beach house. Her mom and sisters made all the food and the cake — which was fabulous. She made her own bouquets, her roommate was the wedding coordinator, her college roommate played the violin, and a friend was in charge of the music. We were the photographers and we had such a great time!

I haven’t had any time to go through the photos, but I have a few teasers so far. The last series we shot because they had extra rose petals that they didn’t get to use during the ceremony or reception – so we had some fun at the end of the day. More photos will follow in a few weeks.

I love having opportunities to be a second shooter at weddings. I get to experience the photographic flow of the wedding without the pressure of making sure all my shots are perfect. It allows me to experiment with artistic vantage points and various exposures. I am really excited because I get to second shoot with Shari Bare (www.sharibare.com) tomorrow! Shari is such a warm and open person. In fact, we asked her to shoot our wedding! She didn’t really need a second shooter for this wedding, but she knew I wanted another opportunity to get out there with my camera and she uses a handful of my shots. I learn a lot from working with her — I will be helping her set up some new lighting tricks, I get to pick her brain while we work, and I watch her in action. I couldn’t ask for any more! I have two solo weddings coming up, and I am excited for some extra practice beforehand.

I’ll be using my 5D and my dad’s 5D with my 28-75mm f2.8 and 70-200mm f4 L for most of the shots. I’ll sneak my 85mm f1.8 in my bag for some “prime” shooting opportunities. Shari and I talked on the phone for an hour about this shoot and about photography in general. It’s great to talk to other photographers in town — I get so many ideas and am so encouraged!

I just ordered a new lens — a 70-200mm f2.8L IS — to replace my other 70-200mm lens. But unfortunately I won’t have it for this shoot. I can’t wait for it to come in!